Candidate's claim of actor's support is false (Price v. Lawson)

[supernova]

Source: WRAL.Com

Actor Morgan Freeman issued a statement Monday afternoon denying that it is his voice voters hear in a commercial for Republican congressional candidate B.J. Lawson.

Lawson's campaign touted the use of Freeman's distinctive voice in an e-mail to supporters Monday morning.

"The Lawson for Congress campaign confirms that its latest radio and TV ad is indeed narrated by actor Morgan Freeman," campaign manager Martin Avila wrote.

By 5 p.m., he was backing away from that statement after Freeman denied the relationship.

Read more: http://www.wral.com/news/local/politics/story/8547823/

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You can listen to the ad at the link. It sounds very Much like Morgan Freeman, but it's an impostor.

Somehow this smells like Karl Rove.

[tanyev]

1. About time for thesaurus publishers to include Republican as a synonym for liar.

[No Elephants]

4. I usually spell it "Republicon"--as in con artist.

[nclib]

2. I heard the ad this afternoon.

But I knew it wasn't Freeman because he wouldn't support Lawson. It did sound like him though and I figured dirty tricks.

[supernova]

3. It's a very good imitation

But the timbre is too high. Whoever that is isn't a true baritone like MF.

:hi: Nclib!

[nclib]

6. Yes it is.

:hi: supernova!

[No Elephants]

5. Of all the lies to lose your credibility over, this may be the dumbest.

[John Kerry VonErich]

7. As long as the voiceover didn't ID himself as Freeman, there was nothing illegal

nt

[muriel_volestrangler]

19. Are you sure that's correct? I believe it would be illegal in the UK

I've been told (by someone in marketing, who used radio ads) that they weren't allowed to use impressionists to imitate specific people in ads unless it's clear that it is just an imitation. The reason for this was so that the famous people get the work that has flowed from whatever they did to gain fame, rather than an impressionist. Effectively, they are given a 'copyright' on how their voice sounds.

[John Kerry VonErich]

20. Don't know about the UK

But as long as the impressionists does not say they are the person(s) they impersonate in voice over work, it's perfectly legal. Speaking voices are not copyrighted material via first ammendment.

[muriel_volestrangler]

21. It seems a singing voice is protected, in California at least

Defendants Frito-Lay, Inc., and Tracy-Locke, Inc., appeal a jury verdict and award of $ 2.6 million in compensatory damages, punitive damages, and attorney's fees, in favor of singer Tom Waits. Waits sued the snack food manufacturer and its advertising agency for voice misappropriation and false endorsement following the broadcast of a radio commercial for SalsaRio Doritos which featured a vocal performance imitating Waits' raspy singing voice. On appeal, the defendants mount attacks on nearly all aspects of the judgment.

In challenging the judgment on Waits' voice misappropriation claim, the defendants first contend that our decision in Midler v. Ford Motor Co., 849 F.2d 460 (9th Cir. 1988), recognizing voice misappropriation as a California tort, is no longer good law. Next, they contend that the district court erred in instructing the jury on the elements of voice misappropriation.

In challenging the judgment On Waits' false endorsement claim under section 43(a) of the Lanhim-Act, the defendants contend that Waits lacks standing to sue because he is not in competition with the defendants. They also argue that Waits did not establish his claim at trial, and that damages and attorney's fees were improperly awarded.

Because it is duplicative, we vacate the award of damages under the Lanham Act. We affirm in all other respects.

http://www.law.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/communications/waits.html

And since the terms 'voice' and 'distinctive' seem to be what that case revolved around, I'd think that should apply to a distinctive spoken voice too.

[KingFlorez]

8. A lying Republican candidate, who would have thought it?

When I first saw the ad on Youtube and the candidate was claiming it was Morgan, I knew it was a lie. He would never do an ad for a sleazy GOPer.

[Ian David]

9. It was voiced by my wife... Morgan Freeman... whom I've seen naked.

Yeah, that's the ticket.

[CLANG]

14. Morgan Fairchild? Yeah, that's the ticket!

[Drale]

10. Well

to republicans, all black people look and sound the same, soooooooooooo

[yurbud]

11. that is a strange choice to make for a Republican. Why not use a Charlton Heston imitator

or just hire Larry the Cable Guy?

GOP voters might be offended or frightened if they figured out that was a black guy's voice.

[truthisfreedom]

13. They couldn't find anyone who sounded dead enough.

[Alcibiades]

15. The point is that they misunderstand black voters in NC

They think that if a celebrity such as Freeman endorses Lawson, black voters will consider voting for him, too. After all, many GOPers support Palin simply on the basis of the fact that she's become a celebrity, so why not use a fake celebrity endorsement to sway black voters? In other words, they think black voters in NC are as dumb as average Republicans.They know that something like this is not something they can pull off without being called on it. I bet they just hoped it would happen after the election.

It's a mark of desperation: a low-quality Republican candidate who, despite mountains of cash from the national GOP, still hasn't a chance of riding the wave. They think the race is so close that such shenanigans could work. One poll did show this race to be dead even, but it was a poll of likely voters: we will be out there making sure that even the unlikely voters vote.

Thing is, this won't work. Folks know about and are suspicious of GOP skullduggery in NC. It is not a tough sell to ask any black person in North Carolina to vote against the party of Jesse Helms.

[yurbud]

12. This calls for a contest to imitate conservative celebrities endorsing Democratic candidates!

[Ken Burch]

17. Or just conservative celeb imitators endorsing conservative candidates in embarassing ways

I'd like to see a Melissa Joan Hart(From "Sabrina, the Teenage Witch) look-a-like endorse Christine O'Donnell by saying "she IS a witch, and that's why I support her"(while the Salem The Cat puppet plays piano in the background).

[yurbud]

18. that would be great

[Merlot]

16. I JUST got a robo call from Morgan Freeman! Really!

He's stumping for Barbara Boxer.

Just in case there is any confusion regarding his politics.